Naoko
Chapter Thirteen: The Surprise
Ran looked up, shocked.
"Ran?" Shinichi whispered. She looked at his face, wide eyed and speechless. "What are you doing?"
"Sh – Shinichi!?" she whispered.
"Hmmm?" he murmured. His eyes were half open and he looked pale still. His voice was muffled by the tubes giving him oxygen through his nose. He was looking strait at her, cold sweat on his face and weary curiosity in his eyes. She screamed shrilly. He winced. A doctor came running in.
"What?! What?!" the doctor yelled. She caught site of the uncomfortable and confused looking boy on the bed and rushed over. "Miss I'm going to have to ask you to leave if you can't control yourself!" Ran tore from the room and to a payphone, where she shoved in some money and dialed the numbers.
"Dad! Shinichi's awake!" she exclaimed, and then she hang up. She shoved in more money and repeated the message to Heiji and Kaito. She waited anxiously, bouncing on the balls of her feet for the others to arrive.
"Ran!" Heiji called. She looked over and ran up to him. She was beaming.
"He woke up! I was in there, and then –!" she was too excited to talk in complete sentences.
"Ran, why were you in there? You're not supposed to be in there alone," Heiji said slowly. Ran blushed brightly.
"I was just – ugh! It doesn't matter. He's awake now!" she giggled. Heiji nodded in agreement.
"I guess," he said. He couldn't help but wonder why she was in there alone though. Kaito and Aoko shot into the room minutes later, surprising both of them. Their fingers were interlaced together. Heiji blinked.
"Any news?" Kaito asked.
"Not yet," Ran shook her head. "Are you two like, a couple now?"
"Uh," Kaito blushed and Aoko nodded.
"Way to go, Kuroba," Heiji grinned and clapped him on the back. Kaito blushed harder. Ran smiled brightly. Today was turning out to be perfect! Next, all Ran had to do was set Kazuha up with Heiji. A few minutes later still, Kogoro and Kazuha skidded into the hospital, almost knocking over and old woman with crutches.
"Ran!" Kazuha yelped. "What's going on?"
"Kazuha?" Heiji asked.
"Shinichi woke up!" Ran exclaimed, beaming and rocking back and forth anxiously. After about half an hour, the doctor came out of Shinichi's room and greeted them.
"Well, good news! He's awake and probably going to be okay," she said happily. "And the bad news is; he might never walk again."
"WHAT!?" Ran shrieked.
"His legs were crushed by the house. It'll be a medical miracle if he ever walks again. But, the fact that he's alive now is a great surprise as well. So there's a chance," she said. "You can see him now. But try not to overwhelm him, he's still fragile." They nodded and hurried into the room.
Shinichi was still lying in the bed, but some of the color had returned to his face. He was currently looking out the window, but looked over at them as they entered. He smiled weakly.
"Ran," he whispered. She beamed and ran over to him, wrapping him in a loose hug. He breathed in her sweet scent and sighed. She released him and sat next to the bed.
"Feeling better?" she asked.
"No, no not really," he said shaking his head. Kaito snorted.
"I have to go. Take care of yourself, Kudou," Heiji waved. Shinichi gave him a questioning look but nodded. Kazuha followed him out.
"Heiji, wait!" she called as he went down the street. Rain started to fall heavily. "Heiji!" she screamed over the honking horns and pouring rain. She ran to catch up with him. A car sped by her and splashed her with freezing, muddy water.
"Hey! Watch where you're driving!" she shrieked. When she turned back around Heiji was nowhere in sight. "That little –," she broke off, fuming.
Heiji walked down the street, sulking. He knew that detectives weren't supposed to sulk, but he didn't care. He had a reason to sulk. Kazuha was more worried about Kudou than him.
"She's the jerk," he grumbled. He tripped and stumbled, almost falling into a puddle. He cursed and continued on.
'Am I jealous of Kudou?' he wondered. 'No. The guy's lying in a hospital bed. They don't think he'll ever walk again. I don't envy him. Then why do I feel like this?' he growled in frustration.
He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair; making it stick up on ends, then flop over limply as it got soaked. He shoved his hat back on and kept walking. Someone hit him in the back. He tripped and fell over, landing in a puddle. He got up on his hands and knees, but was struck in the back again and he fell, hitting his head on the sidewalk and falling unconscious.
---
Ran was smiling. She couldn't remember when she'd smiled before. Shinichi was back for good. At least she hoped. He hadn't turned back into Conan, so maybe he wasn't turning back at all. She hoped. Presently, he was asleep.
"Oh, Shinichi," she whispered.
"Poor guy. He looks so vulnerable," Aoko whispered. Kaito and Kogoro had left. True, Shinichi looked incredibly helpless at the moment.
"I wonder where Heiji and Kazuha went," Ran thought aloud.
"I don't know. Heiji seemed to be in a hurry," Aoko said.
"Only after Kazuha showed up," Ran added.
"Yeah. And she followed him right away. Maybe something's going on between them?" Aoko suggested. Ran shrugged.
"It's pouring rain out there! I hope they're okay," she said.
"They'll be fine," Aoko waved her friend's worry off. "He's a detective! You can't sneak up on a detective."
---
Heiji's head was spinning. He groaned loudly and shivered. He was soaking wet from the rain, mud caked on his face and clothes. He was tied down to a chair. His eyes snapped open when he realized it. It was dark and silent. There was a gag in his mouth, muffling his cries for help. Brusque footsteps alerted him of another person in the room.
"I thought detectives never let their guard down," the man said, laughing slightly. Heiji growled.
"What's the mater, Hattori? Cat got your tongue?" another man mocked. The first one snickered.
"We have to go now, but we'll be back. Don't you worry," he said, patting the side of Heiji's face. Heiji pulled away violently. He breathed heavily through his nose, trying to slow his rapid heartbeat. Their footsteps faded as they left quickly. He sighed and tugged at the cords that bound him to the chair.
He yanked as hard as he could and the chair scooted foreword, in the direction his attackers had gone. He paused, thinking. He scooted foreword again; heading towards what he hoped was the exit. After a long time, he hit a wall. His ankles were tied together, but not to the chair, so he kicked the wall over and over, yelling for help. But no one came. He only succeeded in knocking the chair over and smacking his head on the floor. His head pounded, but he stayed conscious. He rested his head on the floor and lay there, silently waiting.
---
Kazuha was getting worried. She'd checked everywhere and hadn't found him. He couldn't have gone too far, could he? She stopped by Shinichi's room.
"Have you seen Heiji?" she asked desperately. Shinichi blinked.
"Not since a few days ago. Why?" he asked.
"I can't find him! He just disappeared!" she said exasperatedly. Shinichi propped himself up on his elbows.
"You mean you weren't with him?" he asked frowning.
"Well I was following him, but then I almost got hit by a car and when I looked back, he was gone!" she complained. "You don't think something happened to him, do you?"
"I don't know. Help me up," he said. She went over and helped him sit up, his feet dangling over the side of the bed. He bit his lip and looked around. "Wheelchair," he pointed. She nodded and brought it over. He slowly lowered himself into it and she wheeled him out.
"Where should we look first?" she asked.
"I don't know. Do you want me to wheel?" he asked, looking up at her. She shook her head.
"No, you don't weigh anything," she laughed.
"How about we just go down the exact place you saw him last and check it out, search for clues," he volunteered. She nodded and started that way, sneaking past nurses and security guards, out of the hospital.
"I better not get arrested for kidnapping," she said.
"Don't worry about it," he said waving a hand. "I'll explain it to them."
"You're awful calm," she said grumpily. "What about Heiji?"
"So Ran was right," he said nodding.
"What do you mean?" she asked crossly.
"She told me you like Heiji, I didn't think it was true. I guess I owe her," he shrugged. Her eye twitched.
"I DO NOT!" she shouted. He jumped.
"Okay, okay! Jeez," he said holding up his hands. "I'm already in a wheelchair; don't give me a heart attack!"
"Okay, this is the place. There's the puddle that I got splashed with, and Heiji disappeared right as he turned the corner of that building," she said pointing. She wheeled him over to the building and he leaned over, looking over his knees to the ground. He reached down and put his fingers in a muddy puddle that was streaked with red. He studied the substance closely for a few minutes before looking up at Kazuha.
"There's blood here," he said. She bit her lip.
"Do you think it's his?" she asked.
"I don't know. It could be. But how many people bleed in the rain?" he said. She looked horrified.
"So he's bleeding?!" she asked.
"Well, if he was attacked –," he started.
"Oh no! He's probably alone and scared and hurt in some old basement with someone keeping him hostage!" she wailed.
"He's probably okay," he said.
"Let's keep looking," she suggested hopefully. He nodded and she pushed him down the sidewalk. They went around three blocks and finally he stopped them. He could've sworn he heard pounding.
"Do you hear that?" he asked. She went silent and listened carefully. She did hear it.
"Yeah," she whispered.
"It stopped," he said after a while.
"Should we check it out?" she asked. "It came from that warehouse," she said pointing across the street. They were in the most deserted part of town; all of it was just buildings under construction.
"Yeah, maybe we should. It's Sunday, no one should be working," he said. She nodded and followed as he wheeled himself over to the building. He stopped in front of the door and reached for the knob, pulling it open steadily. He backed up and let Kazuha go before him.
"It's too dark. I can't see," she whispered. He reached out a hand for her.
"Where are you?" he whispered. She moved closer and took the handles of the chair. "Stay close."
She felt along the wall for a switch of some kind to turn on the light. She smirked and flicked the switch when she found it. No light came on. She scowled.
"Heiji!?" she called. Her voice echoed through the dark room. Shinichi gasped.
"Are you crazy?" he hissed. "Do you know who could be in here?!"
"Shut up! I'm trying to listen," she shushed. She licked her lips and waited. There was a shuffling sound near the other side of the room. She could hear a muffled sound as thought someone were trying to speak through thick cotton.
"I hear it," he said almost inaudibly. She gently pushed the chair towards the noise.
"Keep going Heiji, help us find you," she said. The pounding started again, echoing through the room.
"What are you waiting for?" Shinichi asked. "Go get him!" she nodded and let go of the handlebars, running towards the noise. He wheeled himself along slowly, looking for anyone that could pose as a threat. Kazuha skidded to a halt and fell to her knees when she reached the other side. She could feel his presence and turned, shuffling her feet. The pounding stopped and she could hear his breathing. She cried out as she tripped over something. There was a grunt as she landed on something hard.
"Real graceful, Kazuha," she muttered. Whatever she landed on was moving. "Heiji?" there was a throaty grunt from the left and she crawled off. She crawled on her hands and knees, feeling around for him. She touched something soft and pulled back.
"Kazuha! I found a flashlight," Shinichi called. He clicked it on and set it in his lap. He shined it around and saw them. Kazuha looked down and saw she was directly above him. She took the gag out of his mouth and he swallowed roughly.
"Ow. I'm lying on my arms right now," he said. She heaved up the chair and set it heavily down on its legs. Shinichi wheeled foreword and stopped next to him.
"And how are you today?" he asked pleasantly. Heiji scowled.
"That's not funny," he groaned. "I have a splitting headache!"
"Well you should. I'd be worried if you didn't," Shinichi said.
"Don't screw with me Kudou," Heiji warned him. Shinichi shook his head.
"Sorry. It's the meds, I swear," he smiled innocently.
"Speaking of medication, we need to get you back to the hospital before I get arrested," Kazuha said. She leaned over and untied his wrists and ankles. He stood up and sat back down quickly. Kazuha leaned foreword concernedly. He shook his head slowly.
"I'm fine, just give me a minute," he grumbled. He rubbed his temples and groaned. Then he put his hands on his knees and pushed himself up.
"Okay let's go sneak him back into the hospital then," he said brightly. He grasped the handles of the wheelchair and they started for the door. The light clicked on.
"Just the boy we wanted to see!"
---
And who is this mysterious person? Kaito? Agasa? The police? :-)
dood - Close, but no cigar.
PRIVATE - YES! There IS a surprise ending.
Wing Omega - Getting a litttttttllllle frustrated here. Remember the whole, 'this is mystory, this is how I want it' thing a while back? That goes along here. Nice guesses though
Firestorm2004 - DING DING DING! ::sirens blare and flshing lights go off:: WE HAVE A WINNER! YOU GET A PRIZE NEXT CHAPTER!!! CONGRATS!